The 43-year-old star has son Arthur, four, with her ex-partner, fashion designer Jason Bleick. The former couple make sure they spend time away from the spotlight with Arthur, doing the kinds of things he enjoys. Unfortunately for Selma, that has meant learning to deal with creepy crawlies.

"Cockroaches are my biggest fear in the world. That is my phobia. But that’s all he wants,” she laughed to People magazine. “I’ve caught him caterpillars and watched them turn into butterflies. But no, all he wants is cockroaches.”

Arthur is so obsessed with the bugs he has told Selma he'd be happy to spend every day in their company. She has joked that relocating might be on the cards so she can make her boy's wish a reality.

"He’s outgoing and charming and he loves to collect bugs,” she said. “His new thing is he wants cockroaches more than anything. I’m like, ‘We can move to New York and that can be arranged.’”

Much of her time with Arthur is spent looking for cockroaches, which usually means taking a field trip somewhere. While this might seem like a lot of effort to go to, Selma insists it's better than the alternative - finding the creepy crawlies scurrying around her house.

While spending her time trawling for insects isn't how Selma thought motherhood would be, all isn't lost. There are certain areas were Jason takes the reins, such as when it comes to sport.

"(Jason) takes him to soccer because I’m not going to be a soccer mom!" she laughed. "I don’t know how well I’d fit in with that crowd."

And Arthur certainly seems happy with how things are going; he calls Selma his "golden girl" because he has so much fun with her.

Your Comments

COMMENT RULES: Comments that are judged to be defamatory, abusive or in bad taste are not acceptable and contributors who consistently fall below certain criteria will be permanently blacklisted. The moderator will not enter into debate with individual contributors and the moderator’s decision is final. It is Belfast Telegraph policy to close comments on court cases, tribunals and active legal investigations. We may also close comments on articles which are being targeted for abuse. Problems with commenting? customercare@belfasttelegraph.co.uk